Compulsory vaccinations and passports. Protests in Great Britain and France

British Health Secretary Sajid Javid announced the introduction of vaccination commitments for those health professionals in England who had direct contact with patients in early November last year. According to this announcement, it is scheduled to go into effect on April 1. But if a person has not yet received a single dose of the vaccine, to maintain the required interval, they must take the first dose by February 3 at the latest.

See: Great Britain. Opposition leader: Johnson broke the law, lied about parties and had to leave

However, in recent days, the government has admitted it is considering delaying the entry into force of this requirement, which relates to estimates that as many as 70,000 NHS jobs could lose their jobs in such a situation. People, the health services are already struggling with a serious staff shortage and long lines of patients waiting for scheduled treatment.

Healthcare workers are the second job group in the UK to be vaccinated against COVID-19. This has been the case for nursing home employees since November.

More than 137.1 million doses of the vaccine

In the UK, more than 137.1 million doses of the vaccine have been administered to date, of which 52.2 million are first doses, 48.1 million are second doses and 36.8 million are booster doses. This means that at least one was adopted by 90.8 percent. People over 12 years old, the booster dose – 64%.

On Saturday, 76.8 thousand people were reportedly monitored in the past 24 hours. Coronavirus infections and 297 deaths from Covid-19 have been reported. The number of new cases is nearly 5,000. Less than last week, the number of deaths – by 10 higher.

Demonstrations in France

Anti-vaccine opponents and “yellow vests” demonstrated on Saturday in several French cities against the passport vaccination that takes effect on Monday.

Four demonstrations took place in Paris. The “yellow vests” protested in the morning and afternoon against the right-wing “Patriots” movement led by Florian Philippot, and its members carried banners reading “Freedom”, “Truth” or “No to Apartheid”.

See: France. Those who are not immune will not be able to enter restaurants and cafes among other things

Among the protesters in Paris are lawyer Sophie, 44, and Frank, a 56-year-old IT consultant, who have protested against the immunization of children and teenagers. According to Frank, “the rhetoric of the authorities is inconsistent and changes according to circumstances.” He added, “We don’t know how to tell the truth from falsehood anymore.” According to Sophie, the government unnecessarily offers a passport for a vaccine rather than waiting for society to restore herd immunity “when the virus is no longer virulent”. AFP reports.

Demonstrations were also held in other cities. According to the police, 700 people gathered in Aix-en-Provence, 950 in Montpellier, 1,200 in Marseille, 450 in Bordeaux, 300 in Lille and 600 in Strasbourg.

Health passport in public places

From Monday, in France, a health passport will be applied in public places. It applies to everyone 16 years of age or older. This means that access, for example, to restaurants, bars, offices, entertainment venues, service facilities and long-distance transportation will depend on the complete vaccination schedule.

The negative test, which so far could be submitted in lieu of proof of vaccination as part of a health passport, will now only be accepted for access to health facilities and political rallies.